Thursday, August 03, 2006

Two figures swim out of the blackness towards me. I say "Animal control?"

We chat. They are polite. Somehow they know my name... They tell me that several people have been ticketed. No-one I know anyway. They also tell me that the complaints sparking this action came from the gardeners, who told them there is a "huge problem" with dog poo & uncontrolled dogs. They give me the impression they think that might be an exaggeration. I'm on the verge of asking them how long they intend to keep the patrols up...

Another figure swims out of the darkness, attached to a small, black dog. He obviously sees three figures in the gloom, and an indeterminate number of dogs in attendance.

He shouts: "No Gestapo tonight then?"

I nearly fall over laughing. Realising that my moment for gleaning intelligence is lost, I answer: "...Yes. There are."